A Core-Shell Fe/Fe2O3 Nanowire as a High-Performance Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries

The preparation of novel one-dimensional coreshell Fe/Fe2O3 nanowires as anodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is reported. The nanowires are prepared in a facile synthetic process in aqueous solution under ambient conditions with subsequent annealing treatment that could tune the capacity for lithium storage. When this hybrid is used as an anode material for LIBs, the outer Fe2O3 shell can act as an electrochemically active material to store and release lithium ions, whereas the highly conductive and inactive Fe core functions as nothing more than an efficient electrical conducting pathway and a remarkable buffer to tolerate volume changes of the electrode materials during the insertion and extraction of lithium ions. The core-shell Fe/Fe2O3 nanowire maintains an excellent reversible capacity of over 767 mAhg(-1) at 500 mAg(-1) after 200 cycles with a high average Coulombic efficiency of 98.6 %. Even at 2000 mAg(-1), a stable capacity as high as 538 mAhg(-1) could be obtained. The unique composition and nanostructure of this electrode material contribute to this enhanced electrochemical performance. Due to the ease of large-scale fabrication and superior electrochemical performance, these hybrid nanowires are promising anode materials for the next generation of high-performance LIBs.